Alex Cora isn’t waiting to shake things up after an ugly start to the season.
The Red Sox were smacked around by the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, falling 12-4 in Boston’s season opener. The two sides will meet for the second contest of a four-game set Friday at T-Mobile Park.
Facing a left-handed pitcher in Yusei Kikuchi, Boston’s lineup will be shuffled a little bit. While Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts will remain the Sox’s first two hitters, J.D. Martinez — not Rafael Devers — will bat third. Devers will hit sixth, with Xander Bogaerts and Eduardo Nunez hitting fourth and fifth, respectively. Sam Travis, who made the Opening Day roster with Steve Pearce injured, will make his season debut, hitting seventh and playing first base in place of Mitch Moreland.
Nathan Eovaldi will get the ball for the Red Sox. The hard-throwing right-hander is making his first start since signing a four-year deal with Boston this past offseason.
Here are the full lineups for Friday’s Red Sox-Mariners game:
RED SOX (0-1)
Andrew Benintendi, LF
Mookie Betts, RF
J.D. Martinez, DH
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Eduardo Nunez, 2B
Rafael Devers, 3B
Sam Travis, 1B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Christian Vazquez, C
Nathan Eovaldi, RHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
MARINERS (3-0)
Mallex Smith, CF
Mitch Haniger, RF
Domingo Santana, LF
Jay Bruce, 1B
Edwin Encarnación, DH
Tim Beckham, SS
Omar Narváez, C
Ryon Healy, 3B
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yusei Kikuchi, LHP (0-0, 1.93 ERA)
